We spent months knowing Hayley Atwell as the only actor officially on-board for the upcoming series Agent Carter, but slowly that has started to change. In recent weeks it's been revealed that Chad Michael Murray and Enver Gjokaj have come aboard to play SSR Agent Jack Thompson and Agent Daniel Sousa, respectively, but now we have news that another character from the established Marvel Cinematic Universe will be regularly popping up in the show. The twist here is that he will be appearing in a very different form than audiences have come to recognize him.
Marvel Studios has revealed that James D'Arcy has signed on for a recurring role in Agent Carter playing Edwin Jarvis, Howard Stark's personal butler. If you're wondering why the name "Jarvis" sounds familiar, it's probably because you're thinking about Tony Stark's digital butler, voiced by Paul Bettany in the Iron Man movies:
It would seem that Tony got the name of his home security/Iron Man operating system from that of his father's butler! Maybe the young Tony was able to connect with Jarvis while his dad was too busy with work and being cold and distant (as seen in Iron Man 2).
In addition to serving and caring for Howard Stark, James D'Arcy's version of Edwin Jarvis will also apparently be a help to him professionally, as he is described in the official release as an "unexpected ally to Peggy Carter" who helps her "navigate her way through what may be her most dangerous mission yet." While D'Arcy is perhaps best known for his film work - recently starring in features like Cloud Atlas, Hitchcock, and Let's Be Cops - he does also have some experience on television. Most of his credits in the medium come from the U.K., but he starred alongside Chloe Sevigny in the first season of Those Who Kill.
What's bizarre about this news is that while we know Howard Stark's butler is going to be in the show, we still don't know if Howard Stark will be. It would make perfect sense for actor Dominic Cooper to reprise the role in the series, as he appeared along with Atwell in both Captain America: The First Avenger and the Marvel One-Shot Agent Carter, but nothing has been confirmed or announced. Hopefully the two sides are still working out a deal - and that the negotiations will end with us getting to see Cooper's version of Howard Stark on a weekly basis on the small screen.
Agent Carter doesn't have an official start date just yet, but will be debuting at mid-season on ABC, joining Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as the network's Marvel two-some.
